Venue Rentals

Whether you're planning a wedding or planning your holiday festivities, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium has just the right venue to fit your needs. From mid-size rooms, to larger halls, to a chickee that provides a unique outdoor setting with a Southwest Florida-feel, our waterfront location showcases everything that is special about Sarasota and her islands.

Each year, millions of visitors travel to Sarasota to enjoy its beautiful beaches and exotic and fascinating marine life. At Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, we showcase the best that the region has to offer in several unique settings perfect for your wedding or other special event that doesn’t require you to get wet to have a great time! Mote Aquarium is one of Sarasota’s premier attractions, hosting more than 300,000 visitors each year. Our venues offer you and your guests a departure from the ordinary with spectacular animal exhibits and breathtaking views.

The WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards recognize the top 5% of local wedding professionals on WeddingWire that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness, and professionalism. Winners are selected solely based on reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds and are determined by a combination of excellence in four factors: overall rating, total number of reviews, review performance from 2016, and consistency of reviews from year to year.

Did you know that zoos and aquariums are becoming the most popular places for unique wedding experiences? Click here to learn more. At Mote, you can have cocktails at the reef, dinner among the sharks, luaus at a tiki-hut and rooms with great views. Mote venues are available for private rentals from 8 a.m. to midnight each day of the week, including weekends. Prices are reasonable, and — best of all — proceeds generated from rentals support Mote research and public education efforts.

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*Ask us about our 10% member discount (Jellyfish Family Members or higher)

New Pass Room

The New Pass Room in the Keating Marine Education Center is a 4,300 square-foot room featuring a 1,300 square foot balcony that provides spectacular views of Sarasota Bay, New Pass and the Gulf of Mexico. New Pass Room is also perfect for hosting seminars and includes complete A/V capabilities for an extra charge.

Pricing:
$2,500 Wedding Rate
$600 Bereavement Rate (If room has not been booked, we can offer a Celebration of Life rate - may not be booked more than two weeks in advance)

The Chickee

Built by members of the Seminole Indian tribe, the Chickee picnic area is an outside covered pavilion next to beautiful Sarasota Bay. It’s one sure way to give your event an authentic Old Florida feel and is a wonderful place to hold birthday parties, company picnics or casual wedding rehearsal dinners. Picnic area includes electricity, water, wooden picnic tables with chairs, existing grill with two smokers and existing sea shell inlaid bar.

Aquarium & Courtyard

Mote Aquarium is perfect for an evening reception and rental includes access to all Mote Aquarium exhibits, such as the 135,000-gallon shark tank and reef fish exhibit. It’s a beautiful way to enjoy a get-together — watching the sunset and beautiful undersea creatures.

WAVE Center

Our newest venue is a large, multi-purpose location ideal for both conferences and special events. Located adjacent to our main laboratory building, the WAVE Center has value added enhancements that can transform your function into an event to remember. From full audio-visual capabilities and WiFi, we can accommodate your day or evening event.

Pricing:
$2,300 4-hour event (Includes the following A/V: Use of screen, projector, and one microphone)
$100 each additional hour (Additional A/V time and services are available, requires a meeting with our A/V professional)